WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.859 Imagine for a second that you're waking up tomorrow 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:05.400 morning. Okay. You grab your coffee, you check 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:07.700 the charts, and you realize you have the absolute 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:10.320 number one song in the entire country on the 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.580 Billboard Hot 100. That is the dream, right? 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:14.740 Right. Now add one more detail to that scenario. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:18.239 Imagine that tomorrow also happens to be your 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.300 61st birthday. Wow. In the relentlessly youth 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:25.739 -obsessed world of pop music, Achieving that 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.559 kind of mainstream dominance in your 60s sounds, 00:00:28.699 --> 00:00:31.339 well, it sounds virtually impossible. It really 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:33.960 does. But for the patriarch of American music 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:36.039 we're exploring today, it wasn't a fantasy at 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:39.179 all. It was just one incredible milestone in 00:00:39.179 --> 00:00:42.159 a life completely defined by defying the odds. 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:45.399 Welcome to the deep dive. Glad to be here for 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.560 this one. Today, our mission is to explore the 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.280 remarkable life, the sprawling career, and the 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:52.939 enduring influence of Roebuck Pop's Staples. 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.140 The legendary patriarch of the Staples singers. 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.100 Exactly. And just to be totally transparent right 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:01.219 up front, every single detail we are discussing 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:04.540 today is drawn entirely from a deeply researched, 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:07.859 comprehensive, biographical article. It covers 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:10.540 his journey from a Mississippi plantation all 00:01:10.540 --> 00:01:13.459 the way to his posthumous honors. And it is a 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:16.120 journey that really challenges how we think about 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.760 the evolution of American music. To give you 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:21.439 some context right out of the gate, Pop Staples 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:25.159 was a truly pivotal figure in the 1960s and 70s 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.260 across gospel, R &B, and blues. He really covered 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:30.579 all the bases. He did. He was that rare kind 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:33.359 of artist who managed to seamlessly bridge the 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.359 massive cultural gaps between the traditional 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:38.560 church sanctuary, the front lines of the civil 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:41.140 rights movement, and the very top of mainstream 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:43.879 pop culture. Yeah, we are looking at a songwriter, 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:46.780 a master guitarist, a singer, and above all, 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:49.439 a father who brought his family to the absolute 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:51.319 peak of the music industry. It's an incredible 00:01:51.319 --> 00:01:53.599 story. Okay, let's unpack this by heading down 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.920 to the Deep South, because the origins of that 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:58.500 sound are so deeply rooted in the soil there. 00:01:58.659 --> 00:02:03.060 The date is December 28th, 1914. Roebuck Staples 00:02:03.060 --> 00:02:05.379 is born near a town called Winona, Mississippi. 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.000 And you really have to picture the sheer scale 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.419 of his household to understand his early environment. 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:13.680 He was the youngest of 14 children. Fourteen. 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:16.740 Yeah. And he eventually grew up on a cotton plantation 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.719 near Drew, Mississippi. So he's coming of age 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:22.340 in this incredibly demanding agricultural setting. 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:25.740 How does a kid in that environment even begin 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.740 to find his way toward a guitar? Well, that setting 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:31.659 fundamentally shaped everything that came after, 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:34.340 especially his musical education. When you look 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:35.759 at his formal schooling, he actually dropped 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.560 out after the eighth grade. Right. But the education 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.639 he received outside the classroom was arguably 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:45.120 far more valuable for his future. He was essentially 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.860 given a veritable master class in American music 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:50.680 simply by virtue of his geography. Meaning who 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:53.460 he was surrounded by. Exactly. From his earliest 00:02:53.460 --> 00:02:56.699 years, he was hearing and even beginning to play 00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:59.680 with local blues guitarists. And we aren't talking 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:01.860 about local amateurs here. No, not at all. He 00:03:01.860 --> 00:03:05.159 was absorbing the sounds of the literal architects 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:08.560 of the genre. People like Robert Johnson, Son 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:11.300 House, and Charlie Patton. That is just wild. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.860 Charlie Patton actually lived right nearby on 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:16.310 the famous Dockery Plantation. just casually 00:03:16.310 --> 00:03:18.569 brushing shoulders with the holy trinity of Delta 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:21.110 blues before he even hits adulthood. Right. That 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:23.990 kind of proximity to greatness is staggering. 00:03:24.610 --> 00:03:26.550 But he doesn't stay in the Mississippi Delta 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:29.509 forever. He starts singing locally with a gospel 00:03:29.509 --> 00:03:32.509 group, marries his wife Osceola, and then in 00:03:32.509 --> 00:03:35.590 1935 they make a massive life change. They pack 00:03:35.590 --> 00:03:38.030 up and move north to Chicago. Yeah, taking part 00:03:38.030 --> 00:03:40.389 in the Great Migration. But stepping off a train 00:03:40.389 --> 00:03:42.430 in Chicago does not magically hand you a recording 00:03:42.430 --> 00:03:44.879 contract. Not at all. Well, what was the reality 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.139 of his life when he first arrived in the industrial 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:50.139 north? What's fascinating here is the stark, 00:03:50.379 --> 00:03:54.199 gritty reality of his early adulthood in Chicago. 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:57.479 There was no overnight stardom. His life was 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.099 incredibly blue -collar and physically demanding. 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:03.060 Because he had a family to feed. Exactly. To 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:06.139 support his growing family, he took on brutal, 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.919 exhausting labor. He worked in the meatpacking 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.659 stockyards, he did heavy construction, and eventually 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:14.379 he worked in a steel mill. Just picture the sheer 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:18.579 physical toll of working a shift in a 1940s Chicago 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:21.839 steel mill. The heat, the deafening noise, the 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.259 heavy lifting. And then realizing he was still 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:27.199 finding the energy to keep his music alive. It 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:29.480 is remarkable. It really is. He kept singing 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:31.660 with a gospel group called the Trumpet Jubilees 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.399 through all of this. And those working man experiences 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:38.819 deeply grounded his art. How so? Well, the metallic, 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:41.639 rhythmic, grinding pulse of the city seeped into 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.139 him. When you listen to his signature tremolo 00:04:44.139 --> 00:04:46.819 guitar tone later in life, you can hear the heavy 00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:49.980 industrial echo of the steel mills just as clearly 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:52.420 as you hear the Mississippi cotton fields. That 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:54.899 work ethic paints such a vivid picture. You can 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:57.120 almost hear the rhythmic clanging of the factory 00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.579 floor translating into his strumming hands. And 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:03.060 that relentless drive set the stage for the birth 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:08.389 of a true musical dynasty. In 1948, Roebuck and 00:05:08.389 --> 00:05:11.029 Osceola make a decision that shifts the entire 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:13.709 trajectory of their family. They form the Staple 00:05:13.709 --> 00:05:17.189 Singers. Yes. And the lineup is literally their 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:20.709 own household. Pops performing alongside his 00:05:20.709 --> 00:05:24.370 children, Purvis, Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha. 00:05:24.670 --> 00:05:26.230 But they weren't aiming for Madison Square Garden 00:05:26.230 --> 00:05:28.129 at this point. Right, no. They were just forming 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:31.089 a gospel group to sing in local Chicago churches. 00:05:31.310 --> 00:05:33.170 That was the entire scope of their ambition at 00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:35.310 the start. Right. Just a family offering up their 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:37.569 voices in local sanctuary. Right. But when you 00:05:37.569 --> 00:05:40.410 combine those deeply intertwined family harmonies 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:43.410 with pop's hypnotic, blues -drenched guitar playing, 00:05:43.629 --> 00:05:45.990 the talent became undeniable. You just couldn't 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:48.990 ignore it. Exactly. By the early 1950s, they 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:51.509 had to capture that sound on wax. They started 00:05:51.509 --> 00:05:54.240 recording, cutting tracks first for United. records 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:56.379 and then moving to the much larger VJ records. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:58.899 And these early sessions produced some truly 00:05:58.899 --> 00:06:01.839 foundational gospel music. They really did. Here's 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:04.259 where it gets really interesting, because the 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:07.500 ripple effect of those early church -rooted recordings 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:10.879 stretched all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. 00:06:11.259 --> 00:06:15.000 Oh, this is a great connection. In 1955, the 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.980 staple singers record a song called This May 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:20.660 Be the Last Time. And if you follow British rock 00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:23.699 music, that title probably just set off an alarm 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:26.019 bell in your head. Because it was later adapted 00:06:26.019 --> 00:06:28.639 by the Rolling Stones into their massive global 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.720 hit, The Last Time. Think about the cultural 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.850 distance covered there. A family singing in Chicago 00:06:34.850 --> 00:06:38.170 churches directly provided the musical and lyrical 00:06:38.170 --> 00:06:40.829 blueprint for one of the biggest rock bands on 00:06:40.829 --> 00:06:43.410 the planet. It's mind -blowing. And during the 00:06:43.410 --> 00:06:46.110 same early era, they also laid down the classic 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.829 hit, Uncloudy Day. That connection alone secures 00:06:49.829 --> 00:06:52.790 Pops a permanent chapter in music history. But 00:06:52.790 --> 00:06:55.810 as we move into the 1960s... the group begins 00:06:55.810 --> 00:06:58.069 a profound transition. Right, they start moving 00:06:58.069 --> 00:07:00.129 through different record labels. First, Moverside 00:07:00.129 --> 00:07:02.350 Records, then Epic Records, and eventually landing 00:07:02.350 --> 00:07:05.230 at the legendary Stax Records in Memphis. And 00:07:05.230 --> 00:07:07.470 understanding the mechanics of this label shift 00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:11.129 is crucial to understanding their legacy. Their 00:07:11.129 --> 00:07:13.709 music was evolving from purely traditional gospel 00:07:13.709 --> 00:07:17.269 to include protest, inspirational and contemporary 00:07:17.269 --> 00:07:19.610 themes. Which was a direct reflection of what 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:22.149 was happening in the country. Exactly. This evolution 00:07:22.149 --> 00:07:24.910 directly reflected the massive civil rights and 00:07:24.910 --> 00:07:27.170 anti -war movements happening around them. And 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:30.360 to be clear. Our sources here aren't endorsing 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:33.459 or debating the political viewpoints of the 1960s, 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:35.920 and neither are we. Right, we're just looking 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.160 at the facts presented in the article. Exactly. 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:40.959 We are simply observing how their art functioned 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:43.319 as a mirror for the culture. They were taking 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:45.519 the spiritual conviction and vocal arrangements 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.379 of the church and applying them to... In 1972, 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:51.689 they dropped I'll Take You There. which rocketed 00:07:51.689 --> 00:07:54.069 all the way to number one in the U .S. A classic. 00:07:54.290 --> 00:07:56.810 They followed that up with anthems that were 00:07:56.810 --> 00:07:58.790 just everywhere on the radio, like, if you're 00:07:58.790 --> 00:08:01.610 ready, come go with me and touch a hand, make 00:08:01.610 --> 00:08:04.829 a friend. And we really have to pause here to 00:08:04.829 --> 00:08:07.949 highlight the absolute rarity of Pops' success 00:08:07.949 --> 00:08:10.930 during this run, specifically regarding his age. 00:08:11.110 --> 00:08:12.689 Yeah, going back to what we talked about at the 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:14.529 top of the show. Right. The pop music machine 00:08:14.529 --> 00:08:17.970 has always been notoriously ageist, constantly 00:08:17.970 --> 00:08:21.089 favoring the young and the new. But... Pops completely 00:08:21.089 --> 00:08:25.350 shattered those norms. Take their iconic driving 00:08:25.350 --> 00:08:28.110 song, Respect Yourself. Such a groove. If you 00:08:28.110 --> 00:08:30.490 listen to the long version of that track, Pops 00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:32.970 takes the lead vocal for over two minutes. And 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:35.629 he was what, in his late 50s? He was nearly 57 00:08:35.629 --> 00:08:38.129 years old when they recorded that. And the ultimate 00:08:38.129 --> 00:08:41.549 proof of his enduring cool factor is their smash 00:08:41.549 --> 00:08:43.889 hit, Let's Do It Again. The ultimate milestone. 00:08:44.090 --> 00:08:47.549 That song reached the absolute pinnacle, topping 00:08:47.549 --> 00:08:51.370 the Billboard Hot 100 on December 27th, 1975, 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:54.570 which, as we mentioned earlier, was exactly one 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:57.769 day before Roebuck Pop Staples turned 61 years 00:08:57.769 --> 00:09:00.370 old. Having a number one pop hit while you are 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:02.549 picking out the cake for your 61st birthday is 00:09:02.549 --> 00:09:05.669 just legendary. It really is. It proves that 00:09:05.669 --> 00:09:08.929 undeniable talent and groove do not have an expiration 00:09:08.929 --> 00:09:11.710 date. And that immense respect from the industry 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:14.070 led to some incredible collaborations as we move 00:09:14.070 --> 00:09:16.669 into the late 70s and the solo era of his career. 00:09:16.870 --> 00:09:19.309 Definitely. One of the greatest visual documents 00:09:19.309 --> 00:09:21.570 of their power is their appearance in The Last 00:09:21.570 --> 00:09:24.929 Waltz in 1976. Oh, directed by Martin Scorsese, 00:09:25.090 --> 00:09:28.080 released in 78. Right. When Pops and his daughters 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.799 join the bands LaVon Helm and Rick Danko to share 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.940 vocals on The Wait, it is just pure magic. It 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:36.860 is a gorgeous, iconic piece of film. But there's 00:09:36.860 --> 00:09:39.820 a really nuanced detail about that specific appearance 00:09:39.820 --> 00:09:42.679 that film buffs and audiophiles obsess over. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:45.659 Oh, do tell. So, the Staple Singers did indeed 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:48.419 perform in the actual live concert on stage. 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:52.159 However, the performance of the weight that you 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:54.240 actually see used in the final cut of the film 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.419 were shot later on a soundstage, not during the 00:09:57.419 --> 00:10:00.200 chaotic live gig. Oh, interesting. Yeah. The 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:02.320 lighting is more intimate. The sound isolation 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:05.080 is cleaner. And despite it being a stage performance 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:07.879 filmed after the fact, many fans consider that 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.600 specific soundstage recording to be the definitive, 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.460 ultimate version of the song. The vocal blend 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:15.700 they achieve in that room is enough to give you 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:18.879 chills. Now, moving into the 1980s, the family 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:21.840 dynamic shifts. Mavis Staples branches out to 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:24.240 pursue what becomes a highly successful solo 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:26.779 career. Which prompts Pops to officially launch 00:10:26.779 --> 00:10:29.500 a solo career of his own. And the path he chooses 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.600 is fascinating. He starts getting booked at international 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:35.379 blues festivals. If we connect this to the bigger 00:10:35.379 --> 00:10:38.159 picture, this phase of his career presents one 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.360 of the most intriguing boundaries an artist has 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:42.529 ever drawn. How do you mean? As we discussed, 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:45.490 he grew up in the Delta breathing the same air 00:10:45.490 --> 00:10:48.549 as blues giants like Charlie Patton and Robert 00:10:48.549 --> 00:10:51.929 Johnson. He was now being celebrated at international 00:10:51.929 --> 00:10:55.090 blues festivals. But during his solo career, 00:10:55.309 --> 00:10:58.690 he steadfastly refused to actually sing the blues. 00:10:58.909 --> 00:11:01.809 He wouldn't sing the lyrics. Nope. He would show 00:11:01.809 --> 00:11:03.950 up to the festivals, plug in his guitar and deliver 00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:07.120 that dark. Shimmering, incredible blues tone, 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:10.340 but he drew an absolute hard line at singing 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:13.399 the lyrics himself. Wow. Yet, despite this steadfast 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:16.279 vocal refusal, he had previously recorded a full, 00:11:16.419 --> 00:11:19.000 blistering blues guitar album called Jammed Together 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.259 in 1969. Right. Holding his own alongside two 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.639 of the greatest guitarists alive, Albert King 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:27.750 and Steve Cropper. He navigated the blues world 00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:30.350 entirely on his own terms, letting his fingers 00:11:30.350 --> 00:11:32.730 do the talking, while his voice remained reserved 00:11:32.730 --> 00:11:35.350 for his broader spiritual and inspirational messages. 00:11:35.549 --> 00:11:37.690 He knew exactly who he was and what his boundaries 00:11:37.690 --> 00:11:40.509 were, and he never compromised them. But apparently, 00:11:40.649 --> 00:11:42.970 those boundaries did not exclude Hollywood, because 00:11:42.970 --> 00:11:45.350 Pops actually had some brilliant, unexpected 00:11:45.350 --> 00:11:47.789 acting chops. This is such a fun part of his 00:11:47.789 --> 00:11:50.830 career. In 1986, he took on a deeply memorable 00:11:50.830 --> 00:11:53.389 role in the Talking Heads film, True Stories. 00:11:54.029 --> 00:11:56.509 He played Mr. Tucker, a voodoo witch doctor, 00:11:56.750 --> 00:12:00.370 and performed the haunting song Papa Legba. And 00:12:00.370 --> 00:12:01.990 if you happen to be a physical media collector, 00:12:02.289 --> 00:12:05.370 there is a very specific technical quirk regarding 00:12:05.370 --> 00:12:07.649 that performance. You know I love a good technical 00:12:07.649 --> 00:12:10.110 quirk. The version of Papa Legba, performed by 00:12:10.110 --> 00:12:13.870 Pop Staples, was included on the 2006 CD reissue 00:12:13.870 --> 00:12:16.009 of the True Stories album. Okay. But here is 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:20.629 the catch. That specific 2006 CD version runs 00:12:20.629 --> 00:12:23.279 a full minute longer. than the track that was 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:25.740 later included in the 2018 complete soundtrack 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:28.580 release a full minute a full minute so if you 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:30.720 want to hear the unedited full -length vocal 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.960 performance from pops in that film you have to 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.820 track down that specific 2006 pressing finding 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.759 those rare unedited cuts is the ultimate treasure 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.850 hunt for a music fan And True Stories wasn't 00:12:42.850 --> 00:12:45.450 his only time on the silver screen. In 1997, 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:48.429 he showed up in the Barry Levinson political 00:12:48.429 --> 00:12:51.929 satire film Wag the Dog. A great movie. He didn't 00:12:51.929 --> 00:12:54.470 play a character this time. He simply appeared 00:12:54.470 --> 00:12:57.450 as himself, sitting down and singing a song called 00:12:57.450 --> 00:13:00.450 Good Old Shoe alongside country music legend 00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:03.889 Willie Nelson. To simply appear as yourself in 00:13:03.889 --> 00:13:06.129 a major Hollywood film and share the microphone 00:13:06.129 --> 00:13:08.879 with Willie Nelson. is a massive testament to 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.679 his status by the late 90s. Absolutely. He wasn't 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.539 just a musician anymore. He was recognized as 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:17.480 a living, breathing pillar of American culture. 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:21.480 So what does this all mean? When we zoom out 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:24.580 and look at his final years, it means a breathtaking 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:28.179 wave of late -in -life critical acclaim and industry 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:31.179 accolades that most artists never see. It's unparalleled. 00:13:31.529 --> 00:13:33.370 Just look at his timeline with the Grammy Awards. 00:13:33.529 --> 00:13:36.649 Way back in 1961 at the fourth annual Grammy 00:13:36.649 --> 00:13:39.950 Awards, his album Swing Low was nominated for 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:42.509 best gospel or other religious recording. Right. 00:13:42.570 --> 00:13:45.250 You fast forward over 30 years later and his 00:13:45.250 --> 00:13:48.570 1992 solo album Peace to the Neighborhood earns 00:13:48.570 --> 00:13:50.870 a Grammy nomination for best contemporary blues 00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:54.470 album. And he didn't stop there. No. The absolute 00:13:54.470 --> 00:13:58.720 crowning moment arrived in 1995. For his album 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.100 Father, Father, Pop Staples won the Grammy for 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:05.379 Best Contemporary Blues Album. He was around 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.679 80 years old when he finally took home that trophy. 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:11.159 It is a remarkable, deeply satisfying late career 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:14.559 triumph. And the honors extended far beyond the 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:18.139 Recording Academy. Oh. In 1998, he received the 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:20.480 National Heritage Fellowship from the National 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.100 Endowment for the Arts. That's a huge deal. To 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:25.399 put the gravity of that in perspective. That 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:27.960 is the absolute highest honor that the United 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:30.120 States government awards in the folk and traditional 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:33.320 arts. Wow. It is the ultimate national recognition 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:36.379 of a lifetime spent preserving and evolving the 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.799 country's cultural heritage. Amazing. And the 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:42.139 very next year, in 1999, the staple singers were 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:44.139 officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:47.000 of Fame, cementing their legacy alongside the 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:50.120 very artists they influenced decades prior. He 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:52.320 truly lived to see his flowers given to him, 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:54.200 surrounded by the family he had built his career 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:56.940 with. But tragically, we have to report the sudden 00:14:56.940 --> 00:15:00.179 end of this incredible story. On December 19th, 00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:04.179 2000, Roebuck Pops Staples passed away. He suffered 00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:06.419 a fatal concussion after a fall at his home in 00:15:06.419 --> 00:15:10.220 Chicago. He was just nine days shy of his 86th 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:12.700 birthday. It was a heartbreakingly abrupt end 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:16.139 to a life characterized by such sustained, quiet 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:18.879 brilliance. It really was. Though fans did eventually 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.590 receive... one final beautiful gift from him. 00:15:21.690 --> 00:15:24.590 A posthumous solo album appropriately titled 00:15:24.590 --> 00:15:27.600 Don't Lose. This was completed and released in 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:30.159 2015. And while he may have left us in the year 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:32.840 2000, the sheer scale of the respect he commanded 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:35.840 ensured his influence continued to ripple outward 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:38.460 across generations and genres. His impact is 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:41.059 everywhere. Just look at the wildly diverse list 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:43.200 of musicians who publicly expressed their deep 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:45.960 respect and debt to him. Jazz giant Cannonball 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.620 Adderley, slide guitar master Ry Cooter, folk 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:50.980 experimentalist Sandy Bowl, blues icon Bonnie 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:53.399 Raitt, and country music star Marty Stewart. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.120 A real who's who of American music. In fact, 00:15:56.139 --> 00:15:58.480 there was a deeply touching physical manifestation 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:01.440 of that respect. After Pops passed away, his 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:03.919 daughters Yvonne and Mavis personally gave one 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.519 of Pops' beloved guitars to Marty Stewart. Wow. 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:09.340 Literally passing the torch of his musical spirit 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:12.679 into the hands of another master. And his home 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:14.700 state made sure his name would never be forgotten. 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.860 In 2010, Pops Staples was honored with a Mississippi 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:22.080 Blues trail marker right in his hometown of Winona. 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:25.769 That's beautiful. And later, in 2018, he was 00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.090 rightfully inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. 00:16:28.269 --> 00:16:31.070 Well, you have been with us on quite an expansive 00:16:31.070 --> 00:16:33.230 journey today. Thank you so much for joining 00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:35.809 this deep dive into the incredible, enduring 00:16:35.809 --> 00:16:38.549 legacy of Pop Staples. It's been a great discussion. 00:16:38.809 --> 00:16:41.110 When you step back and look at the whole picture. 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:44.529 The trajectory is almost impossible to comprehend. 00:16:45.169 --> 00:16:48.129 We are talking about a young man born into a 00:16:48.129 --> 00:16:51.350 family of 14 on a Mississippi cotton plantation. 00:16:51.690 --> 00:16:54.149 A man with an eighth grade education who worked 00:16:54.149 --> 00:16:56.909 brutal, bone -tiring shifts in a Chicago steel 00:16:56.909 --> 00:16:58.970 mill. He just wanted to sing in local churches 00:16:58.970 --> 00:17:01.289 with his kids. And he ends up becoming a literal 00:17:01.289 --> 00:17:04.309 patriarch of American music, providing the blueprint 00:17:04.309 --> 00:17:07.029 for global rock bands, soundtracking the defining 00:17:07.029 --> 00:17:09.710 social movements of the 20th century, and winning 00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:12.539 Grammys at 80 years old. It is one of the most 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:15.099 profound American lives we have ever explored. 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:18.259 And before you go, this raises an important question 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:19.980 that I want you to think about. What's that? 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.380 Well, when we look at the music industry today, 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:26.059 it is incredibly fragmented, heavily secularized, 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:28.880 and ruthlessly obsessed with youth and viral 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:32.140 moments. Pop staples conquered the mainstream 00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:35.079 pop charts in his 60s, playing music that was 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:37.839 inextricably bound to his deep religious faith 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:40.730 and his family. Very true. So I leave you with 00:17:40.730 --> 00:17:43.109 this to ponder. What would the modern equivalent 00:17:43.109 --> 00:17:46.049 of Pop Staples even look like today? Could an 00:17:46.049 --> 00:17:47.990 artist in his current cultural landscape achieve 00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:50.890 absolute, billboard -topping mainstream dominance 00:17:50.890 --> 00:17:53.730 while remaining entirely rooted in family harmony 00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:56.509 and uncompromising spiritual conviction? That 00:17:56.509 --> 00:17:58.970 is a fascinating thought. Or was Pop Staples 00:17:58.970 --> 00:18:01.809 a singular, unrepeatable phenomenon of a bygone 00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:04.730 era? Think about the unifying power of his music 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:06.630 the next time you drop the needle on a Staples 00:18:06.630 --> 00:18:07.269 singer's record.